Wild apple is an apple variety that grows naturally on mountain slopes and in rural areas. Its fruit averages 3 cm in diameter, has white flesh and a fragrant aroma, and is yellow or red. In the regions where it grows, it is commonly added to tea in place of lemon.
In general, apples belonging to the genus Malus in the Rosaceae family; consist of 85% water, 11% carbohydrates, 2% dietary fiber, 0.6% fat, 0.5% organic acids, 0.3% protein and the most abundant acid in its compound is malic acid and it is also very rich in phenolic acids and vitamins.
Apple is one of the fruits known since ancient times, consumed in different forms and large quantities. It is known that the apple is praised in historical inscriptions due to some of its therapeutic properties.
Among the many cultivated and wild apples, Malus sylvestris Miller, known as wild or sour apple, is one of the less familiar varieties with distinctive characteristics.
This type of apple is known as “the European crab apple” in Europe. Wild apple is also known as “mountain apple” or “forest apple.”
The wild apple tree looks more like a shrub than a tree. It can live up to 80-100 years and can grow up to 10 meters with trunk diameters of 23-45 centimeters.
Because of its limited ability to compete with other trees and its high light requirements, wild apple grows mainly along moist forest edges and the margins of farmland.
Wild apple (Malus sylvestris) has a native range extending from Europe to Türkiye.
Although wild apples are found more or less in every region of Türkiye, the places where they are most concentrated are the Bayburt, Kastamonu and Erzurum regions.
It is popular in the regions where it grows and is usually consumed with tea. It is used not only during the harvest season, but also at other times of year after freezing or preservation as pickles or fruit must.
Although it is not regarded as a fruit of major commercial importance, it is readily sold in local markets and shops in these regions.
In the Bayburt and Erzurum regions, wild apple is added to tea in place of lemon for its strong aroma and is traditionally regarded as helping to prevent illness. It can also be used in shepherd’s salad. Other products include apple juice, apple tea, apple vinegar, cider, apple molasses and apple compote. In the Kastamonu region, the fruit is called “acık” or “acuk”; a type of fruit must called “acuk ekşisi” is made from it.
Wild apple is also known as an ancestor of cultivated apples. Although this variety is not a major commercial crop, it is consumed in different ways and for different purposes in the regions where it grows.
The fruit is the part of wild apple most commonly used. When the whole fruit is used to flavor tea, however, its seeds may also be included. The seeds are also used to add color when the fruit is made into jam or similar products.
Composition and Health Benefits of Wild Apple
According to the Afyonkarahisar Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Center, an institution in Türkiye, this apple contains carbohydrates (12.6%), protein (0.3%), water (84.3%), fiber (2.5%) and fat (0.3%).
It also contains vitamin C, E, B1, B2, PP, B5, B9 and provitamin A (Carotene) and oligo-elements such as potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn).
According to some studies, the glucose concentration in wild apples has been determined as 46 mg/L.
In one study, the vitamin C content of wild apple was measured as 30.7 ± 1.6 mg/L. Vitamin C has antioxidant properties and helps prevent damage to cells caused by oxygen radicals. It also increases iron absorption and plays a role in bone formation, blood production, and wound healing.
Wild apple is also known to be quite rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that, even at low concentrations in foods or in the body, significantly prevent or delay oxidation. The effect of antioxidants on human health is very important. These effects are mainly exerted through radical scavenging and chain-breaking mechanisms.
From this perspective, based on limited data, wild apple is thought to have supportive potential for:
- kidney functions,
- headache,
- cholesterol,
- high blood pressure,
- blood sugar,
- rheumatism,
- gout disease,
- insomnia,
- intestinal parasites,
- fatigue, and
- constipation.
However, these effects have not been definitively proven.
In some studies, the antioxidant components in wild apple are suggested to have protective potential against prostate and lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and some chronic conditions, and may help limit DNA damage. However, more scientific research is needed to confirm these effects. Due to its rich phytochemical content, some sources indicate that wild apple may be effective in processes related to lipid oxidation and the immune system.
In interviews conducted in the region, consumers frequently stated that this fruit helps with insomnia and blood sugar. In some places, it is reported that those with high blood pressure or fever are given this apple to eat or its tea is prepared for them.
In the Kastamonu region, the “acuk ekşisi” produced from wild apple is stated by local people to be particularly effective against intestinal parasites. It is similarly claimed to have a positive effect on kidney and cardiovascular health.
It is reported that this fruit has been consumed in this manner for many years and is especially consumed more during the winter months in order to avoid illness.
As a result, it can be said that both fresh and dried wild apples are extremely beneficial to health. With its phenolic compounds, vitamin C, and antioxidant capacity, it is believed to strengthen the body’s defense mechanisms against the harmful effects of free radicals and thus have a functional role in preventing some diseases.
It is especially considered a fruit that should be taken into account for healthy nutrition and protection against serious diseases such as cancer.
On the other hand, the health effects of wild apple have not been sufficiently researched. The data presented are based on the statements of local people and limited studies conducted. Further research on this subject is very important in order to understand wild apple and to clearly determine what it is beneficial for.
Note: This article is intended solely for general informational purposes. Nutritional needs may vary from person to person. Always consult a healthcare professional or a registered dietitian before making any changes to your diet.
References
Güldemir, K., Çakır, Ö., & Çakıroğlu, K. (2020). Yabani-Ekşi Elmanın (Malus sylvestris Miller) Antioksidan Aktivite ve Fenolik Madde İçeriği Üzerine Farklı Kurutma Yöntemlerinin Etkisi. Fırat Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, 32(1), 279–285.
Mihailović, N. R., Mihailović, V. B., Kreft, S., Ćirić, A. R., Joksović, L. G., & Đurđević, P. T. (2018). Analysis of phenolics in the peel and pulp of wild apples (Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill.). Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 67, 1–9.
Stephan, B. R., Wagner, I., & Kleinschmit, J. (2003). EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for Genetic Conservation and Use for Wild Apple and Pear (Malus sylvestris and Pyrus pyraster). International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2026). Malus sylvestris (L.) Mill. — Plants of the World Online.
National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2025). Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
Afyonkarahisar Tıbbi ve Itri Bitkiler Merkezi. (n.d.). Kurumsal web sitesi.
Özlem Çakır
Ozlem Cakir, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Bayburt University’s Faculty of Engineering, where she works in the Division of Food Sciences within the Department of Food Engineering. She received her B.Sc. in Plant Production from Atatürk University in 2003 and completed both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Fruit Growing and Breeding at the same university in 2006 and 2012, respectively. Her formally recognised academic specialisation is Fruit Growing and Breeding within the broader field of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
Dr. Cakir has more than twenty years of academic, research, and professional experience in horticulture, fruit science, food processing, and nutrition. From 2010 to 2013, she worked as an agricultural engineer at the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock. She subsequently served as Deputy Director of a Research and Application Centre at Bayburt University between 2013 and 2014. Her background enables her to approach fruits and plant-derived foods from both agricultural production and food-processing perspectives.
Her research focuses particularly on cultivated and wild fruits, fruit genetic resources, fruit growing and breeding, biochemical characterisation, phenolic compounds, antioxidants, mineral composition, bioactive plant constituents, extraction processes, drying technologies, and the use of fruit extracts and processing by-products in food systems. Her studies have examined species and genotypes of Berberis, Rosa, Crataegus, Malus, Sorbus, Hippophae, Diospyros, Punica, blackberry, mulberry, loquat, cherry laurel, tea, apricot, grapevine, and other horticultural crops.
Her university profile currently lists 32 peer-reviewed research articles, 20 of which were published in SCI-Expanded-indexed journals. Her work has appeared in journals including Food Chemistry, the Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, Food Science & Nutrition, Sustainability, the Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Scientia Horticulturae, Applied Fruit Science, and the Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization. She has also contributed to two chapters in an international scientific book addressing agricultural resource use and sustainability.
Dr. Cakir has presented or co-authored 47 national and international conference contributions, including 42 international papers or presentations. These studies cover fruit cultivation and breeding, wild fruit biodiversity, antioxidant activity, phenolic profiles, mineral composition, organic agriculture, drying and extraction methods, food-processing technologies, and the use of plant-derived bioactive compounds in food products.
She has participated in eight scientific research projects as a project leader, researcher, or scholarship holder. Her project work has included the characterisation of wild pomegranate and apricot-plum genetic resources; the biochemical and antioxidant properties of wild apple, Berberis, Rosa, and other regional fruits; the optimisation of extraction conditions for aromatic plants; the use of fruit extracts as natural antioxidants in meat products; the application of Berberis fruit in ice cream; and the characterisation of exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria. She has also supervised nine master’s theses, seven of which are recorded as completed, on subjects including wild fruits, phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, pectin extraction, food safety systems, nutritional habits, fermentation, and functional food ingredients.
Her teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses in Fruit and Vegetable Processing Technology, Fruit and Vegetable Juice Technology, Beverage Technology, Fruit and Vegetable Drying Technology, Food-Derived Antioxidants, Methods for Determining Antioxidant Activity in Foods, Sensory Evaluation of Foods, Food and Nutrition, Nutrition Principles, Organic Agriculture, Food Packaging, Special Foods Technology, and Industrial Food Waste and By-products.
As an author for Gıda ve Sağlık, Dr. Cakir contributes her expertise in fruit science, wild and cultivated fruits, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, food processing, organic agriculture, and nutrition to the preparation of scientifically grounded and accessible articles for an international readership.